Full Story

It all started with a knock on the front door.
That one simple knock on that one Tuesday evening changed everything and turned my life around. I was in the living room on the phone with David, the absolute love of my life, like my usual routine after I got home during the summer when that knock happened. ‘Knock, knock’ was the sound that rebounded off the front door and echoed throughout the halls.
David has been gone for a such a long time now, one whole entire month now, he has been off somewhere with his family in the middle of Switzerland. I do not know what there really is to do there during the summer because won't all the snow be gone, but I guess family bonding time is needed and necessary at times. Which is something that I'll never be able to experience anymore but it's about David right now. I just really want to see him after all this time. To make everything even worse he won't even tell me when he's getting back, his own girlfriend. I question his ways at times but if he did tell me, I would be thinking and counting down the day until I get to see him again, even though it's not like I don't do it everyday already.
I have been checking all the flights coming in from Switzerland. The last one arrived last night and David obviously wasn't on that one since he's calling me from halfway around the globe at this very minute. Speaking of which, I should probably get back to the phone call.
"Hi, Christel? Are you still there? Hello?" I heard someone call through the phone.
"Ummm, oh yea. Sorry I got lost in my thoughts." I managed to stutter out.
"What were you thinking about that could quite possibly be more important than me?" David responded quite cockily, this kid is full of himself. I guess Switzerland gave him a big head, even though he already had one to begin with.
I immediately replied with a "nothing" but he saw right through my lie.
"If you say so," was the response I received. I did say so, so that backfired on him.
"Hey so that Independence Day Father Daughter dance is coming up and I'm wondering if you will finally be going?" David asked.
Why does everyone always ask me this exact question every single year? Each time someone asks me that question, a bunch of different questions pop into my head that I want to ask. Why do you care? If I never go, why do you think it would be different this year? Who do you expect me to go with?
That last question is just a pain every time I think about it. Only the few people that are really close to me and hold my trust know what happened with my dad. I love my dad with all my heart. He was my best friend and companion through everything that I went through. I couldn't imagine life without him, I never even thought about life without him. I was able to talk to him about anything that went on in my life. A girl does have all her girl issues, guy problems, school drama and all the other good stuff. He had turned into my therapist through all the sad things and hard times that upset me and all the happy moments I've enjoyed. I cherished the precious time I spent with him.
Then dumb Presidents and their diplomacy or whatever they do decided it would be in the United States of America’s best interest to send our troops all the way across the Atlantic to help corral people. Unfortunately my dad who was a Lieutenant General happened to be one of them. The sadness and loneliness that I faced through those times.
I would come home everyday to an empty house that sort of seemed abandoned in ways. No flowers were being kept, no pets running around, no wonderful aromas flowing throughout the house from the kitchen, and most importantly no sense of home with a loving family. It was just me, myself, and I every single day. I had no joy to want to do anything. I just came home, did homework, I usually didn't eat much food, watch a couple minutes of TV and then go straight to bed. The unchanging cycle was one of the factors of my depression.  The depression affected my grades, social life, my body and so many other things.
 That all changed one day when someone knocked on the door. It was a uniformed official... Right when I saw him I knew my life had changed. The military never send people over unless your loved one has died while in combat.
"Hi Mrs. Wheeler," I was greeted with.
"It's Miss, I'm his daughter," I said while still trying to keep myself composed.
"I'm sorry Miss. I came today bearing sad news. Colonel Wheeler has become MIA."
From the second I heard that I started to cry. I just cried and cried for days into weeks. I had lost my best friend, there was an incomplete hole in my heart that just couldn't be replaced by anything. My depression got worse and I just pushed everyone away. People kept coming up to me and apologizing and saying they're sorry for what happened. I couldn't stand that... I knew they had meant well and were just trying to make me feel better but them apologizing couldn't change anything. They hadn't do anything anyways. Unless they were the people that killed him, it wasn't their fault that he's dead. It just irritated me that everyone was just coming up to me and saying I'm sorry. They haven't done anything wrong to be apologizing for.
My mom on the other hand moved on fairly quickly. One year later she married some rude business man from Prague named Bob. Every time he was around, which was thankfully very minimal, he thought he was able to order me around like a servant. He would just sit on the couch, prop his feet up on the vintage table, and tell me to hit him up with a bottle. He has no respect for me and thinks it's my duty to abide to his willing. That's not how things work. You have no right to order me around even if you are my mother's husband. You've never even been a father figure to me at all. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know what my name is.
It's an understatement to say I hate Bob. I know it's mean but I honestly feel that way. I don't know whether it's because he's taking my mom away from me or from my dad. I will deal with him as long as my mom is happy and being respected. My mom has been through so much that she deserves some happiness in her life. Once he crosses that line, then I'm done. The two of them are always traveling together to foreign, exotic places having the time of their life forgetting all about me. They come back home once in a while unannounced and are too busy with each other to have time for me unless Bob is ordering me around. I just hope I get to see my mom's face again and actually get to have a conversation with her. If only she would come back, even if it is with Bob.
Only one person knows where my mom actually is and that's Cameron. I haven't talked to him in quite some time. We broke up two years ago when his family moved to Santa Barbara for his dad's work. He was the closest friend I had. He helped me through everything that had happened with my dad and everyone else. To make things cliché, he was my first love. It broke my heart when he told me that he had to leave. We stayed in contact for a while but then certain things happened and we just drifted away. I miss him especially when bad things happen and I just want everything to just end and be over. He always knows the right thing to say and how to make me feel better. He was just a really easy person to talk to. He's the one person that truly understands the things I go through and how I actually feel.
David is a really nice person but I guess like people say, you never really forget your first love. David had offered me so much more than I can ever ask of him. I know for sure that I don't return the same for him and he doesn't deserve that. He deserves so much better than I can ever give him.
The thought of David returned me back to reality but I wasn't hearing anything from the phone. I guess my life thinking was taking up too much time and I hadn't been responding to him. I’ll just call him back later and explain what had happened. David is really understanding and forgiving. Suddenly something else interrupted my thoughts again. ‘Knock, knock’.
I slowly walked to the door wondering who would be visiting me since everyone else is on vacation. There is a no soliciting sign on my front door as well so it couldn't be any salespeople. I also don't think I've done anything bad enough to be getting sued so I shouldn't be getting served. I looked through the peephole and couldn't see anyone. Must have been another ding dong ditch prank, typical people these days.
I opened the door to see if I can catch the pranksters and make them stop, I didn't see them but what didn't see was a guy hurriedly walking down the driveway. He didn't seem like a person to be going around and pranking people. Very poised posture, wearing dress shirt and khakis. So familiar and I could tell his features apart from anywhere. Especially that hair, how many times I've ran my fingers through that hair.
"Hey! Hey!"
Then he turned around and there was his face... It was him.
"Hi Christel. Have you missed me?"
He was back.